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~ Florida Sterling Council Honors Two Diverse Role Model Organizations~

TALLAHASSEE –The Florida Sterling Council and Governor Scott today announced that the Florida Department of Health in Broward County is the recipient of the prestigious Governor's Sterling Award for 2018. In addition, the City of Tallahassee Underground Utilities & Public Infrastructure was awarded the Governor’s Sterling Sustained Excellence Award.

Governor Scott said, “The Governor’s Sterling Award winners reflect our focus of making Florida the best state in the nation to live, work and raise a family. I am pleased that Florida is leading the nation and I congratulate this year’s top-performing Sterling Award recipients. This award is the highest recognition an organization in Florida can receive for performance excellence. The Governor’s Sterling Award process is an efficient tool for all organizations that saves Florida businesses millions of dollars annually.”

These coveted awards will be bestowed at the 2018 Governor's Sterling Award Banquet at the JW Marriott Orlando Grande Lakes on Friday, June 1, 2018.

2018 Governor’s Sterling Award Recipient

For 26 years, the Governor's Sterling Award has recognized organizations and businesses in Florida that have successfully achieved performance excellence within their management and operations.

Florida Department of Health in Broward County

Florida Department of Health in Broward County (DOH-Broward), an entity of the State of Florida Department of Health, is the county health department located in Fort Lauderdale. DOH-Broward has a strong partnership with the Broward County Board of County Commissioners which is formalized in a core contract. DOH-Broward provides population/community based services to the second most populous county in the state of Florida and the 17th most populous county in the United States with 1.9 million residents and over 14 million annual visitors. DOH-Broward is the lead agency providing core public health functions and essential services and is responsible for assessing, maintaining, and improving health and safety within the county. These services include statutorily mandated services and other federal, state, and locally funded programs, such as communicable disease control, environmental health, health promotion, vital statistics, public health preparedness and response, WIC, and clinical care.

DOH-Broward has met or exceeded targets for 98.2% of all its performance measures (5,871 total measures) by using its Shared Accountability model that effectively ties together all resources, end-to-end in the organizational chain of command. DOH-Broward has maintained high levels of customer satisfaction, increasing from 87.6% in 2013 to 99% in 2017, with the overall customer satisfaction among the department’s seven facilities achieving 99.1% to 100% from 2013 to 2017. The percentage of active TB patients completing therapy within 12 months of initiation of treatment was 95.1% in 2013 to 98.2% in 2016, exceeding the Center for Disease Control’s target of 95% and the state comparison of 95% to 91% from 2013 to 2016. The black infant mortality rate per 1000 live births shows a favorable downward trend of 10 in 2010 to 8.1 in 2016, exceeding the levels of benchmark comparisons. The percent of kindergarten children fully immunized improved from 93.6% in 2013 to 95.3% in 2016 and compared favorably to the state performance of 93% in 2013 to 94% in 2016. Performance in providing health screenings to refugees within 90 days of arrival into the U.S. showed sustained high performance of 98% to 100% from 2012 to 2017, exceeding the Florida Department of Health target of 95%.

The Department builds and maintains its relationship with community partners through a robust system of service and leadership on many community coalitions, taskforces and committees fulfilling its cornerstone principle of Leader of the Local Public Health System.

The Florida Department of Health in Broward County is a first-time recipient of the Governor’s Sterling Award.

2018 Governor’s Sustained Excellence Award Recipient

City of Tallahassee Underground Utilities & Public Infrastructure

The City of Tallahassee Underground Utilities & Public Infrastructure was formed in 2008 from a merger of four utilities. In 2016, the Department embarked on a reorganization and restructuring which resulted in assimilating Public Works functions such as streets and sidewalks, drainage, engineering, and surveying. The Department provides potable water to approximately 84,000 customers, wastewater collection and treatment service for approximately 72,000 customers, natural gas to 31,000 customers, and operates and maintains over 3,500 miles of water, sewer, gas and stormwater pipes, 6,730 fire hydrants, over 650 miles of roadways, and 500 miles of sidewalks.

The Department’s customer-focused service results show positive levels, trends, and comparisons. For example, the total nitrogen levels in its wastewater treatment facility remain at or below 1.43 milligrams per liter over the past four years, which is well-below the Florida Department of Environmental Protection’s limit of 3.0. Through an innovative marketing approach, the organization expanded its gas water heater installation program that resulted in a further reduction of CO2 (carbon monoxide) emission from 971.2 tons in 2014 to 1091 tons in 2017. The department’s CNG (Compressed Natural gas) program for its city’s fleet and Leon County school buses resulted in an annual displacement of 1.2 million gallons of gasoline and diesel equivalent. Customer satisfaction, measured on a Likert Scale of 5.0, exceeded 4.0 in 2017 for questions related to courtesy and overall service. Customer engagement, as demonstrated by the percentage of outreach completed, increased from 83% in Fiscal Year 2014 to 92% in Fiscal Year 2017, exceeding the AWWA benchmark of 83%.

After the successful assimilation of Public Works, the Department has favorably increased its assessment of street segments from 323 in 2014 to 6,466 in 2017, and reduced sidewalk trip hazards from 152 in fiscal year 2014 to 7,845 in 2017. In 2016, based on its demonstrated commitment to excellent customer service, sound planning and clear leadership vision, the Department secured the first 20-year water rights permit in North Florida. The organization’s abilities to continue to perform as a role model now and in the future is exemplified by sustaining a strong AA+ bond rating, which will enable the Department to raise needed operating capital for infrastructure investment. The organization strives to sustain utility services that are affordable for its customers, such as the stormwater fee that has been sustained over the last three years significantly below the industry’s national standard.

The City of Tallahassee Underground Utilities & Public Infrastructure was the first public utility to receive the Governor’s Sterling Award in 2015. The Department is now a first-time recipient among all private or public utilities to have received the Governor’s Sustained Excellence Award.

About the Governor’s Sterling Award

Established in 1992, the Florida Sterling Council is a public/private not-for-profit corporation supported by the Executive Office of the Governor. The Council oversees the Governor’s Sterling Award for Performance Excellence, presented annually by the Governor to high performing, role-model organizations, both private and public, who demonstrate superior management approaches and role model results. Sterling's Conference teaches participants how to elevate performance and increase productivity. Nearly 700 executives and professionals gather at this event for a one-stop source for education, information and inspiration. The conference concludes with the recognition of best practices, the Team Showcase Champion, and the presentation of the Governor's Sterling Awards, the highest award an organization can receive for performance excellence in Florida. For more information, contact John Pieno at (850) 922-5316 or visit www.floridasterling.com.